Contoured display carton



Jan. 16 19 6 8 I w. w. NOWAK 3,363,747

CONTOURED DI S PLAY CARTON Filed Dec. 1, 1966 2Sheets-S1'neet 1 J6 22):!Z 25am, ZZZ Afowak Jan. 16,1968 w. w. NOWAK CONTOURED DISPLAY CARTON 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 1, 1966 United States Patent assignor Chicago,Ill., a

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carton including irregularly shaped, hollowcontoured main sections hinged together and alternately disposed aroundand engaging an article for holding and displaying the same.

The subject carton is particularly useful for displaying an articlewhile simultaneously cushioning and protecting it. The carton is formedof alternately connected main or cushioning sections and web or cornersections, and surrounds the article. Each main cushioning section isirregularly shaped and hollow and has opposed pairs of walls. Portionsof the article extend through openings in the cushioning section innerwall to securely hold the article in place relative to the carton.

The main object of this invention is to provide an irregularly shapedcarton having contoured hollow walls suitable for surrounding andholding an article, and further for framing the article in a manner tovividly display it.

The accompanying drawings include:

FIG. 1, a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the subjectinvention;

FIG. 2, a front elevational view of the carton illustrated in FIG. 1 andhaving a displayed article shown in phantom lines within the carton;

FIG. 3, a top plan view of a blank suitably shaped, cut and scored toprovide when joined with another similar blank a carton disclosed inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4, a view of the blank shown in its fabricated condition ready tobe set up;

FIG. 5, a view of the blank set up to define frame structure for onehalf of the carton disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6, an elevational sectional view as seen generally from line 6-6 inFIG.

FIG. 7, a front elevational view of two half sections similar to that ofFIG. 5 which are in positional relationship ready to be interlocked withone another to form the carton of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 8, a partial elevational view as seen generally from line 88 inFIG. 2.

The subject carton 10 is suitable for the cushioning support and displayof an article 12 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2). Since the carton isof unique shape, it is extremely useful for displaying an article whichwould more typically be bought on impulse depending on the elfectivepoint of sale force of the display carton. An article of this naturemight be a toy, for example, as shown in phantom in FIG. 2. However,obviously other articles can be effectively displayed within thiscarton.

The carton is formed as a hollow wall frame which surrounds the article.The frame is shown to have four main cushioning sections 14, 16, 18 and20 and a corresponding number of corner or web connecting sections15,17, 19 and 21.

Each cushioning section typically has an inner wall 24, 26, 28 and 30and an outer wall 34, 36, 38, 40, and opposed end walls 44, 46, 48, 50.Each end wall is typically formed by an inner flap (see FIG. 3) 58, 60and outer flap 68 and 70 hinged, respectively, along the end edges ofthe outer and inner walls and overlapping one another.

Each cushioning section is irregularly shaped with the inner and outerside walls being close to one another at the adjacent webs or cornersand being deflected outwardly from one another toward the center of thewall. Additionally, the end walls converge toward one another fromadjacent the connecting corners or webs in the direction toward thecenter of the walls.

The contouring of the various walls of the cushioning section isaccomplished by the manner of hinging the various walls to one another.Thus, in FIG. 3, the hinge connections 59, 61, 69, 71 for the closureflaps are preferable curvilinear between the adjacent web sections andeach is disposed on the side of a plane or line through the adjacent websections that is remote from the free edge of the flap. The hingeconnection 61, for example (see FIG. 3), follows a circular contour andlies on the side of line '72 extending through the adjacent end edges'74 and 76 of the adjacent web sections. The free edge of each end wallflap is contoured along generally the mirror image line of the hingeconnection for the flap, and the edge does not extend beyond that mirrorimage line.

In the manufacture of the subject carton, a pair of generally similarbut separate blanks 83 of paperboard are used. Each blank is suitablyshaped and arranged to have a plurality of transverse regions 3 4., 86,38, and 92 across the blank which act as the web or corner structures.The blank preferably is made somewhat symmetrical (such as about hingeline 83) so that the blank can be folded about the hinge line and causethe corresponding web hinges 86 and 90, and 8d and 92 to overlap to formthe connecting or corner sections of the frame.

A tongue 94 having locking flaps 95 projects beyond the end edge of theconnecting web 92 and is adapted to cooperate with an opening 97 formedalong the hinge line 88 between the inner and outer panels of a maincushioning section. The locking cooperation between adjacent cushioningsections is best illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The carton is set up from the flat glued condition of the blank (seeFIG. 4) by initially biasing the adjacent corner or web sectionsslightly toward one another to deflect the inner and outer side wallsfrom one another. Thereafter, the end wall flaps are deflected inwardlyto overlap one another and maintain the deflected side walls in thebowed position. Since the end wall flaps must be deflected past a stableposition, as caused by the curved hinge connection for the flap, theyremain in the erected overlapping position.

Preferably, the side walls are designed to completely enclose thearticle and to extend beyond the opposite end edges of the article.Therefore, a transparent overwrap ltltl can adequately be used to coverthe frame and the article confined therein to protect the article whilethe same is still packaged.

Openings M91, 102 and 163 provided in the inner wall structure receiveportions of the article for positive holding of the article to bedisplayed.

Note that in the cushioning sections, the width of the inner wall at itsnarrowest portion is greater than the corresponding width, at a similarlocation, of the outer wall.

While the carton has been shown as being formed from two separate blanksof generally similar contour, it will be obvious that it can be formedfrom a one piece blank folded on itself much in the same manner andhaving only one end connection. Similarly, the hinge connections neednot be curved as illustrated but might be a combination of straight orcurved segments. This would vary the shape and thus the displaycharacteristic of each main section.

What I claim is:

1. A carton for holding and protecting an article, the combinationcomprising:

(a) a frame surrounding the article and having inner and outer sidewalls disposed in face to face relationship;

(b) said frame having at least three web sections whereat the side wallsare immediately adjacent one another and having a corresponding numberof alternately disposed bulged sections whereat the side walls arespaced from one another;

(0) closure flaps hinged at the opposite end edges of the bulgedsections and folded to overlap one another;

(d) the hinged connection of each closure fiap to its side wall panelbeing continuous but not extending in a straight line between theadjacent web sections and lying on the one side of a plane through saidweb sections that is remote from the free edge of the p;

(e) each closure flap extending at its free edge no further than beyondthe mirror image, about said plane, of the hinge connection;

(f) said inner side wall engaging and holding said article.

2. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the inner and outer side wallsare secured together at the web sections.

3. A carton according to claim it, wherein each hinge connection followsa circular contour between the adjacent web sections.

4. A carton according to claim 3, wherein the free edge of each closureflap follows a circular contour between the adjacent web sections thatis the mirror image of the respective hinge connection contour.

5. A carton according to claim 4, wherein a transparent film overwrapsthe frame and is disposed outwardly of said article.

6. A carton for confining and protecting an article, the combinationcomprising:

(a) a frame disposed to surround the article;

(b) said frame including at least three cushioning sections and acorresponding number of connecting sections alternately disposed betweenthe cushioning sections;

(c) each of said cushioning sections including inner and outer wallswhich are adjacent one another at the connecting sections and whichdiverge from one another toward the center thereof between the adjacentconnecting sections;

(d) flaps hinged at the opposite end edges, respectively,

of the inner and outer walls at said cushioning sections and folded tooverlap one another and define thereby a pair of opposed end walls foreach cushioning section;

(e) each opposed pair of end walls converging toward one another in thedirection from immediately adjacent the connecting sections toward thecenter thereof between the connecting sections;

(f) said inner wall having openings therein for receiving portions ofthe article for holding the latter relative to the carton.

'7. A carton according to claim 6, wherein each connecting sectionincludes inner and outer walls that are secured together, saidconnecting section inner and outer walls being integral continuations,respectively, of the adjacent cushioning section inner and outer walls.

8. A carton according to claim 7, wherein one of the connecting sectionsis integral with one cushioning section adjacent thereto and is separatefrom the other cushioning section adjacent thereto, and whereincooperating lock means on the other cushioning section and the oneconnecting section releasably secure them together.

9. A carton according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of sepaarte blanksare used each forming at least two connecting sections and twocushioning sections, and wherein the cooperating lock means are formedin the adjacent connecting and cushioning sections of the separateblanks.

10. A cushioning, display carton formed from a unitary blank of foldablepaperboard, comprising:

(a) a plurality of hollow main sections interconnected at their ends bygenerally solid corner sections to form a frame structure open in thecenter;

(h) each main section having a pair of opposed walls hingedly connectedto another pair of opposed walls along fold lines which do not extend ina straight line to form a contoured structure;

(0) one pair of walls of each main section being joined adjacent thecorner sections and being deflected outwardly from each other toward thecenter of the walls;

(d) the other pair of walls of each main section being spaced from eachother adjacent the corner sections a distance greater than they arespaced from each other at the center of the walls;

(c) said corner sections being formed by extensions of correspondingside walls of adjacent sections and being joined together in face toface relation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,781,898 2/1957 Desmond et al.206-4531 X 2,966,293 12/1960 Goldsholl 2298 X 3,271,357 9/1966 Burt20645.33 3,298,506 1/1967 Reiner et al 20645.33

FOREIGN PATENTS 876,307 8/1961 Great Britain.

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner.

